Yeah, I’m still alive but I just recovered from a cold so I’m slowly getting back into the groove of things. Aside from that, I haven’t been up to much besides more work and spending time with the family whenever I can. I’m really behind on anime but I’ll be trying to catch up soon. So anybody have big Halloween plans? I’m actually going to a b-day/costume party a few days before. Yeah, I’m probably not going to do anything on Halloween besides work. But enough of the boring stuff. I saw Jrow’s Mawaru Penguindrum double episode post, I figured I’d try out a version of his post format hehe…

EPISODE 03

I believe it is the repeat of the same day when Musashi lands at Mikawa. This time, the episode starts with narration by Asama (the different colored eyes bow wielding girl). The episode moves on to later in the afternoon with a male student lingering outside a room in the student dorm, only to find inside is a girl.

Continuing off from the previous episode – the school principal, Sakai, meets up with one of the Four Deva Kings of Matsudai – Sakakibarai Yasumasa and Honda Takakatsu. Sakai is greeted with a surprise attack by the girl present. But this old man in a respected position isn’t all that he seems to be.

Meanwhile, Asama, Suzu and two other girls are walking through town shopping. They discuss about Toori’s confession plans and we get hints of Asama’s crush on Toori. They talk about how Toori said he’s going to pass through the Path to Remorse, that it’s been 10 years and he’s foolish along with Kimi. Suzu talks about their childhood on how Toori and Horizon treated her so nicely even though she is blind.

While the students are on their own errands, Margot is finishing up some mail deliveries but is left with one more which is an eroge packaged as a training manual for Toori. Masazumi just so happens to be passing by, so Margot pushes the package on her and runs off to participate in the air race going on. Back to the boy in the dorms, his name is Azuma and was assigned to share a room with a girl. He finds it all weird but the girl, Miriam, is fine with it. Yet, how this connects to anything is beyond me.

Masazumi is wandering around in the forest leading to the Path to Remorse and hears PH-01S singing from afar and this seems to give Toori some courage to enter the forest. Masazumi makes it to the Path to Remorse but is stopped by a carriage whose passengers are her father and some creppy fat dude. With some degrading from her father, the other passenger points out the package that Masazumi is holding and hinting at his similar hobby. The father was going to confiscate the package from Masazumi but they’re interrupted by a scared Toori who claims his package right on time. Toori invites Masazumi to his confession but is turned down and runs off (probably to play his eroge).

Toori: “MIIIIINNNEEEEEEEE” Masazumi: “o_O;;”

The other passenger calls Toori the Master of the Path to Remorse and explains the story of how Horizon who’s grave is there, died in an accident. Horizon Ariadust, was a queen and killed by Motonobu’s (that creepy maid robot leader guy) carriage but the passenger mentions that it’s Toori who killed her. Masazumi is confused and wonders how everyone can support Toori and how he can smile.

Later in the evening, we get a glimpse of Honda Futayo (the girl who attacked Sakai in the forest) leaving on a ship and passing by Tachibana Muneshige, a representative of another faction. I’m sure we’ll learn more about the group factions that exist later on. That night, a guard is attacked by one of the maid dolls. Meanwhile, the students are getting ready for their ghost hunt at the academy. Toori comes out from the school to have everyone begin the hunt but we find this was all Toori’s hard work to spook his classmates and give them a good hunt.

EPISODE 04

So, it’s morning again on the same day of the previous episode but this time the episode has opening narration from Honda Futayo. These narrations are basically about how their daily lives will come to a change in time.

We get a repeat scene of Sakai getting a feel on Futayo and then the scene changes to the group of old men (along with Futayo) drinking and talking about good old times. Sakai recommends for Futayo to attend his academy but her father says she will in time because she’s Mikawa Guard’s vice-captain and has a mission to ensure the safety of a church convoy. The group departs after Kazuno, a doll servant to the Honda’s appear.

After a repeat of the departing scene of Futayo passing by Muneshige, we have the start of things with Futayo’s father, Takakatsu and Kazuno begin their plans. After Takakatsu departs from Kazuno, she sends out her maid dolls and contacts Motonobu whom she seems to be taking her main orders from to begin the fireworks at 8PM. We now get another view of the guards being attacked by the maid dolls at night but they were actually sent by Takakatsu. Meanwhile, Sakai gets some blank papers delivered from Sakakibarai Yasumasa (the other guy besides Takakatsu). Sakai rushes to Sakakibarai’s house but only finds the same blood symbols that was left at Masazumi’s mother’s death. Sakai notices a water ink on the note left on Sakakibarai’s desk saying “Chase after” and connecting it to the delivered paper, it says “The Genesis Plan”.

Meanwhile, the students are still having their fun with the planned ghost hunt. Suzu ends up getting bullied by that random emperor from the first episode but stops after they see some explosions in the distance. Toori calls off the hunt and the students are about to leave until Suzu points at Azuma who just so happens to have a real ghost clinging to him.

They do exist!!!

Back to the action, Sakai runs into Takakatsu and Kazuno. The ground rumbles and Takakatsu says that he’s having New Nagoya’s wound explode at Mikawa’s central reactor. This will destroy Mikawa but there’s no people there but dolls. Takakatsu doesn’t know what’s really going on but is only following orders from his lord to begin the Genesis Plan. With some flashy showdown stances between the two old men, we get more blabber talk about plot against the Testament Union people. After they depart with no fighting action, the central reactor explodes, streaming a beam of light or whatever into the sky.

INNVAAASSIOOONNNNN

Meanwhile, Futayo is on her mission but things are interrupted from the events going on. Futayo doesn’t have a plan of action yet but wonders what Masazumi would do and the scene just so happens to go to Masazumi watching the scene. PH-01S joins Masazumi who drags her off away from the scene.

Some mechas finally enter the scene from the Testament Union side. They’re trying to break the barrier on the central reactor. More Testament Union troops make their way to the center but they’re met by Kazuno. Yes! We get some cool fighting action of mecha versus.. doll maid?! But this isn’t just any doll maid but a well known one.

Terminator got nuthin on Kazuno

Back to Futayo, she finally makes a decision to prevent the union from gaining control by backing up Musashi against Testament Union by going on stand by which will make them an obstacle in Testament Union’s plan. How this works, I have no idea but we’ll find out next time I guess. But for now, we’re left off seeing Tachibana Muneshige and his partner is heading towards the center reactor and probably to face Takakatsu.

New ending song. Stardust Melodia by Ceui

End Thoughts:

Oh boy oh boy… somehow I made it through these two episodes. Really a whole lot happened but it feels like they should have just combined these two episodes into one. So who’s confused on what day it is and such? I actually get it despite how the show keeps on repeating the morning but from different character views and narrations. I find it all interesting and dramatic how the episodes open up with such narrations that are actually going to eventually lead somewhere and which it actually does in the end of episode 4.

All of the events that finally lead up to this big plot is quite interesting despite how most of Toori’s scenes are just comedic relief for us. But lets talk about episode 3. Really, what happened there? Besides seeing some glare or blush on Asama’s boobs while wearing a shirt… what else happened? Man, I think that I have to look back a bit hah! Anyways, it’s pretty cool that there’s a race going on during the day but it’s too bad that we don’t really get to see Margot compete in it. Now that would have been some fun action. Instead, we got some worrying by Kimi over Toori and got to see all those amusing poll dancing moves. I did my best but couldn’t help but think of a stripper poll (not that I’ve seen one work it in real life).

This whole talk about the Path to Remorse sounds so dramatic but it actually is because of the meaning to it. I’m glad that we finally got some information about who Horizon really was and the relation to why Toori has not gone down the path in 10 years. But what is even more dramatic, is Toori’s great timing to grab his eroge from Masazumi before it’s confiscated by her father. All of Toori’s actions in this scene was almost epic but greatly amusing. But with that aside, I didn’t expect Horizon to have died from a carriage accident. I guess that I was misled by the opening of the whole series and thought she was related to the events but considering the timeline, it’s not possible. So they never answered how Toori is the one who killed Horizon. My only guess would be that because Toori was chasing after Horizon, he’s somewhat at fault for her. But was this children playing tag or more like Horizon was running away from Toori in anger? As well, I kind of let it pass by the whole information about who Horizon was and her real relation to Toori aside from childhood friends. Hopefully they will touch up on this more later on.

Going on a ghost hunt with classmates sounds like lots of fun. I think this event was like a opening fun even for Toori’s confession to rile up his classmates. But who would have expect that Toori planned all the ghosts in the school? Hah, poor Asama taking it all too seriously and shooting at the pretend ghosts. Yet, this fun event actually does end with a real ghost clinging to Azuma.

As for the main events about Mikawa, at first it sounds confusing but after a few watches I kind of get it. But I’m sure that we’ll learn more in the next episode too. This whole rebellion thing is actually kinda cool. And besides, we got some mechas finally appearing but they’re from the Testament Union side which that curly blonde, Tachibana Muneshige, is from but then there’s this whole mention of a church. Man, those mechas didn’t look as cool. Maybe it was because I didn’t like the feet part but seeing that fight against Kazuno was pretty awesome.

So, the mastermind behind the Mikawa plot seems to be Motonobu and I think he’s the lord that Takakatsu follows. Glad to hear that Futayo isn’t a pawn in all that’s going on but is allowed to act on her own accord. But I do wonder, what will Musashi do about all of this? Will the students join in on the fight? What is the Genesis Plan? Yep, I’m sure in time we’ll get answers but until then… let’s look forward to next time~

Preview: Yeah, who knows what will happen next time with no preview given. But expect some action yeaaaaahhh~!!

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Self-proclaimed Graphic Artist and the trap of Metanorn... or is Ness really a trap?! We can only guess. Lazy on some days but outgoing on most. You'll find this individual to be easy going and open minded.

At this point I’m not even watching this show, I’m just waiting to see a review that seems like the story has started to make sense. Until (UNLESS) I see something like that, I just can’t bring myself to watch.

Definitely reminds me a lot of Hyouge Mono – not only with the convoluted plot, but also with this strange separation between Aoi Tori’s group’s happy-go-lucky stance (along with ‘appropriate’ techno music) and whatever the hell is going on in the background.

It’s interesting, comparing something hailed as a masterpiece and something thought of as a horrid abomination, to find that they’re more similar than they perhaps ought to be.